It is widely known in the art to pack an array of packs comprising compressed flexible articles encased in flexible bags in cardboard cases for ease of handling, storage and transport. Cardboard, however, is heavy, requires space and has less flexibility for storage since it is rigid and in use continues to occupy the same amount of space even when nearly empty. The space inside these cardboard cases cannot be fully utilised because of the variations in the pack dimensions resulting from the production processes and the tolerances imposed by the usual automatic mechanical packaging systems. The problem of utilisation of space is becoming more and more important with the increasingly widespread use of pallets of standard dimensions resulting from the demands of large manufacturing, distribution and sales organisations. Furthermore, due to the deviations in the pack dimensions resulting from the packing of compressible flexible articles into flexible bags, the cardboard cases need to be over-dimensioned. As a consequence of this over-dimensioning, arrays of packs on the bottom of pallets are incapable of supporting the imposed loads when pallets of products are stacked or grouped three pallets high. Therefore, the cardboard cases must be designed to support the extra loads.
Prior art developments include WO 94/00362 which discloses a plurality of flexible packs placed side by side and held together by means of detachable adhesive tapes. The configuration avoids the use of corrugated cardboard boxes, but offers little in terms of support, stability and protection for the plurality of packs. Consequently, damage can occur quite easily.
EP 0 313 721 B1 discloses a process for erecting packaging on rigid cubic material. The method uses a set of constructional elements produced from packaging cardboard blanks fitted with adhesive flaps and results in the formation of at least one flat basal frame structure constructed without a packaging base. A reduction in the level of packaging material occurs and improved stability results, but the main aim of the invention is to use packaging cardboard and not paper as a packaging material.
EP 0 477 487 B1 discloses a process for producing a package consisting of a dimensionally stable framework with at least one open frame section which supports the material to be packed at the base. In particular, a strip of stiff, stretchfree packaging material is pulled off a supply roll, placed tightly with its edge projecting against the material to be packed, closed to form a surrounding strap and folded angled inwards into the basal plane of the material to be packed. Similarly, a reduction in the level of packaging material results. Nevertheless, the main aim of this invention is to produce a stable framework supporting the material to be packed without using constructional elements. Cardboard is the only example given as a packaging material.
EP 0 675 042 A1 claims a process leading to a rigid package comprising two spaced apart surrounding straps at the top and the bottom of the material to be packed, namely a tray-forming packaging material strip and a top hoop packaging material strip. The end product comprising separated strips is in contrast to the integral wrapping system of the present invention.
Arrays of packs of flexible articles can also be wrapped in plastic foil. The plastic foil can comprise relatively inexpensive materials such as polymeric films or thermoplastic films. Nevertheless, problems exist concerning the severity of the disposal problem from an environmental standpoint both with respect to the amount of wrapping material required and the disposability/degradability of the particular wrapping material. Paper offers an attractive alternative by being fully biodegradable and recyclable.
The prior art therefore does not teach an integral wrapping system which eliminates the need for cardboard and plastic foil as a packaging material, which is independent of fixed dimensioned cases and which exploits the compressibility of an array of packs to form a stable unit.